Qatar unveils convertible Ras Abu Aboud Stadium for 2022 World Cup

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar will see its first ever convertible stadium as The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) unveiled a groundbreaking modular design for the Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, which is built from shipping containers.

The 40,000-seat stadium will be constructed from building blocks of modified containers, which will have the ability to be demounted, reassembled and reused in another location or built into smaller sporting and non-sporting venues as required.

Each container will have fundamental stadium elements such as seating, concession stands, or toilets that can be assembled quickly. As a result, the venue will reportedly use fewer building materials and produce less waste than traditional stadium construction, supposedly keeping costs down and enabling a build time of just three years. The stadium’s sustainable approach will receive a four-star Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) certification.

This versatile design, led by Madrid-based Fenwick Iribarren Architects (FI-A), has never been seen before at a major sporting event and will enable Qatar to make better use of the stadium after the competition finishes instead of suffering legacy problems.

FI-A and Qatar hope this convertible design will become a template for future organizers’ planning for more sustainable stadia in the bid to avoid redundant venues that fall into disuse after tournaments.

“Innovation has always been central to our plans for delivering a historic FIFA World Cup that leaves a legacy for Qatar and the world, and there is no better example of this than the design of the Ras Abu Aboud Stadium,” said SC secretary general H E Hassan Al Thawadi.

“This venue offers the perfect legacy, capable of being reassembled in a new location in its entirety or built into numerous small sports and cultural venues. All of this in a stadium that delivers the atmosphere fans expect at a World Cup and which we will build in a more sustainable way than ever before. I’m delighted with this design and confident that Ras Abu Aboud will become a blueprint for future mega-event planners to follow.”

The Ras Abu Aboud Stadium is the seventh of eight stadia to be finalized by the committee for use at the 2022 tournament and will be located at a 4,843,760ft2 waterfront site southeast of Doha when it is completed in 2020.